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Trailer Watch Thursday Friday – Opening May 11, 2007

On May 11, 2007

I missed Thursday due to the internet acting up.

28 Weeks Later

This sequel to 28 Days Later is not actually directed by Danny Boyle, but it looks like the director he chose to take his place is keeping a similar feel. I really liked the atmospheric quality of the first one, and I actually didn’t mind the zombie elements as much as usual. I thought it lost itself when the military part came in, though, and it looks like this one is mostly military part. Still, my guess is that if you liked 28 Days Later, you will also like 28 Weeks Later, since it does look quite good. Best Bet

Georgia Rule

One review I read (~~I don’t remember which one, maybe on Cinematical~~; no, it was Anne Thompson on her Variety blog) indicated that this film straddles the line between mainstream and indie a little too precariously…that it would have better as an even smaller film. I can believe that from the trailer. Family ties-oriented mainstream films tend to get cloying and sentimentalized mighty quick, but I can feel a better film here underneath that tendency. Especially with Felicity Huffman, who goes a long way toward making me want to at least give it a chance. But probably on DVD rather than in theatres.

Delta Farce

Uh, negatory. On the good side, this trailer looks marginally more inventive than the one for Larry the Cable Guy’s last movie Health Inspector, but that is saying not a lot.

The Ex

I’m torn between my love for Zach Braff and Jason Bateman and a good bit of like for Amanda Peet and my intense sense of dread that this is going to a) suck and b) be rather offensive. Limited.

Home of the Brave

Eh. I tend to like war movies even though I think they tend to be manipulative. I was also reading something about Jessica Biel (who I often avoid) and her acting ability that encourages me to give her another chance…maybe this is the film to do it with. Beyond that, I’m neither enthused nor unenthused. I’m disenthused. I like that! I’m using it. Limited.

The Salon

Didn’t they already do this movie a few years ago, in the double-feature of Barbershop and Beauty Shop? Limited.

Blind Dating

Aw, this looks pretty cute. Possibly slightly inappropriate in places, but overall sweet. *adds to Netflix queue* Limited.

Day Night Day Night

You can’t tell the story from the trailer, but basically the girl has agreed to be a suicide bomber in Times Square. The film appears to be experimental in a way–newcomer Luisa Williams is the only credited cast member, and the story plays out almost completely through focusing on her face. I’m actually quite intrigued by this, but it certainly won’t be a film for all tastes. NY/LA. Best Offbeat Bet

Trailer Watch – Opening May 3rd, 2007

By Jandy

On May 4, 2007

In Film

Trailers and commentary after the jump. There are a good many of them this week.

Trailer Watch – Opening April 27th

By Jandy

On April 27, 2007

In Film

There are no Best Bets this week, folks. Go see Hot Fuzz from last week if you haven’t already. If you have, uh…see it again.

The Invisible

Probably this won’t be terribly good. The fact that it’s produced by the same people as The Sixth Sense again deals with people who either see or are dead people doesn’t argue for a lot of creativity. At the same time, the kid is cute, and if he can carry the film it might be an enjoyable small-scale suspenser.

Why oh why do people keep casting Nicolas Cage in movies? His last good one was 2002’s Adaptation, and before that it was…I forget… This is from a Philip K. Dick story (aka the guy who wrote the source stories for Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly, among many other highly regarded sci-fi novels), and could actually be good. In Cage’s hands, it just looks trite and overdone. Plus he’s obviously phoning it in. And on top of that, Julianne Moore (who can be good in the right project, but so often chooses the wrong ones) and Jessica Biel? Nu-uh. Not happening.

Kickin’ It Old Skool

That would be…negatory. For numerous reasons that only start with the spelling of “skool.”

The Condemned

Okay, let me get this straight. You take several death row inmates (presumably all murderers), set them free on an island and make them all try to kill each other and promise to let the last one standing go free; meanwhile, all this carnage is being watched by violence voyeurs. Essentially, you do take out several criminals, but you reward the one who ends up committing the most murders? There’s so much that’s wrong with the concept of this movie. And the reviews have been pretty bad, too, so I’m guessing there’s not much to save it aesthetically either.

Wind Chill

Survival horror doesn’t usually interest me. This one is no exception.

Jindabyne

Okay, you can’t tell nothing from that trailer. From skimming a review or two, I know the men go fishing and happen to come across a dead girl in the river while they’re there, and the movie’s mostly about what they do after that. It’s meant to be a character-driven drama/thriller, I think. Again, difficult to tell from the trailer. It has got a good cast (Laura Linney can usually be trusted to pick good projects) and Australian accents, so it might be worth a look. But on DVD for sure. Limited.

Snow Cake

Well, I like Alan Rickman. I like Carrie-Anne Moss. I don’t like Sigourney Weaver. I like movies about autism. But is it really about autism, or about a man finding himself with two women, one of whom happens to be the autistic mother of a young girl who was killed while hitching a ride in his car? That might be less interesting. Limited.

The Hip Hop Project

Basically, looks like Rize for singing instead of dancing. It’s about a program for kids to express themselves through hip-hop music instead of drugs and violence. And honestly, the hip-hop music that’s actually good? This is what it’s about. I don’t care for rap/hip-hop myself, but that’s personal preference, and if they can use it to channel energy and emotion into music instead of all the other things these kids could be getting into, more power to them. Rize did a great job of showcasing the krump movements, and it looks like The Hip Hop Project could do a similar service for rap. Limited. Opens wide May 11th. (If I had to give a Best Bet it’d bet this one.)

Diggers

Looks like a rather quiet, understated character-driven drama. Usually I like those, but I’m not particularly drawn to this one. Probably because it also looks rather forgettable. I forgot the trailer pretty much as soon as I watched it. Limited.

Harry Potter 5 Trailer!

By Jandy

On April 26, 2007

In Film

Yay! It looks really, really good. Also really, really dark. But then, I remember reading Order of the Phoenix and thinking, wow, this is really getting dark. So there you go. The boys cut their hair, which is a very good thing. And Hermione embracing her rule-breaking side! Awesome. I *heart* Hermione. And Imelda Staunton is going to be great as Dolores Umbridge.

Trailer Watch – Opening April 6, 2007

By Jandy

On April 7, 2007

In Film

I realize that I am basically video-blogging at this point. This is because I am currently in a schoolwork lull, which means my neurons are going to sleep. In other news, could the studios release SOMETHING I want to watch in a city near me? kthxbye.

Are We Done Yet?

Eh. This could look worse than it does. It was originally supposed to be a remake of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, I think, but then sort of got mashed up as a sequel to Are We There Yet? But it looks fitfully amusing, if you like slapstick family comedies. Plus, it’s got the attending doctor from Scrubs, and I love him. Most reviewers are saying it’s crap, though, and I’m not planning to see it at all, so there you have it.

The Reaping

Oh, Hilary Swank, what are you doing with your career? Horror films like this are a dime a dozen. Not to mention the brain trust that decided that mixing those cool Exodus plagues up with the creepy child subgenre. That’ll be a winner. Not.

Firehouse Dog

“Now, a dog who needs a home and a kid who needs a friend are about to find each other.” And they do. And now you don’t have to see the movie. At least the dog doesn’t talk. Apparently. Needy dog/kid movies are also a dime a dozen.

Grindhouse

Okay. This is critic’s darling this week, even prompting Ryan at Cinematical to bust a gut over its lackluster opening day performance. Personally, I’m not surprised that America isn’t ready for Grindhouse. I’m not. I mean, I like both Tarantino and Rodriguez. I like the things they’ve done to make these films look like 1970s exploitation films, as far as the film grain and low-budget look. And yet, I have no desire to see 1970s exploitation films revived, and I have no desire to see a homage to them. So leave me out of it.

The Hoax

This is the teaser trailer, because I liked it better than the full trailer. As is so often the case. And when the teaser trailer is better than the full trailer, it always makes me worried about the whole movie. Although this has gotten some good press, I’m not sure how the premise can sustain itself for a whole film. Plus, I dislike Richard Gere. On the good side, I LOVE the font used in the teaser. What is that font? Anyone? Anyone? Opening in limited release.

Black Book

Paul Verhoeven, director of such classics as Starship Troopers, Basic Instinct, Total Recall, and RoboCop, turns classy. Heh. I’m kidding. Actually, Starship Troopers is really quite good. I haven’t seen the others. And also, I hear that besides the political intrigue obvious in the trailer, there’s also a dash of sexual intrigue, Basic Instinct-style. In any case, it’s being hailed as an extremely well-done film from Verhoeven, back in his native Holland. The plot looks interesting enough to make me Netflix it. Opening in New York and LA.

The TV Set

I would really like for this to be good. It looks to be right up my alley. But I hear that it’s not as good as it looks, and somewhat miscast. :( On the other hand, Judy Greer is amazing in everything that I’ve seen her in, so it might be worth checking out just for her. Opening in limited release.